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PM Q&A: Ultra-wide perimeter security solutions beyond traditional limits
When perimeter security faces extreme conditions—massive areas, brutal weather, zero infrastructure—traditional perimeter security systems struggle to work well. We spoke with three Hikvision product managers about the advanced perimeter security technologies that can make the difference: Pom Chen and Larry Yang from the radar + thermal team, and Gary Zhou, our fiber-optic perimeter security specialist.
Pom: We have worked on some pretty extreme projects that needed security. These have included offshore mariculture zones covering dozens of square kilometers of ocean, mining sites stretching over 20 kilometers, and solar farms located in very remote locations. These places can require security coverage over huge distances and often need to function despite harsh conditions such as fog, sandstorms, or huge temperature variations.
Larry: These ultra-scale projects create challenges completely different from standard facility and perimeter security. Think about offshore mariculture where the monitoring area is hundreds of times bigger than a football field. Regular perimeter security cameras can barely see 50 meters clearly. Several kilometers out? Forget about identifying any suspicious vessels. And even if you detect an intrusion at such distances, pinpointing the exact location becomes impossible.
Gary: Here's where it really gets complicated. These sites are often in remote locations with no stable power supply, no network coverage, and sometimes not even proper road access. Yet traditional perimeter intrusion security systems need poles, power lines, and network infrastructure. In these environments, installation becomes incredibly expensive and difficult. What’s more, should something goes wrong, the stakes are often very high. Oilfield equipment and facilities, for example, are worth millions.
Larry: Offshore mariculture is a perfect example of extreme-scale outdoor perimeter security challenges. Illegal fishing boats can approach from anywhere, typically 5-10 kilometers away. You can't densely deploy perimeter security cameras across water, and the marine environment is harsh—sea fog, strong winds, salt corrosion make equipment maintenance extremely difficult. The distance issue is also critical: conventional perimeter security cameras lose effectiveness beyond 50 meters, making it impossible to identify vessel types and intentions several kilometers out.
Our perimeter security radar systems detect targets at 3 kilometers. Using active electromagnetic waves, we break through the visual limitations of human eyes and optical devices. Single units cover 100-degree horizontal monitoring angles, scanning massive areas quickly. The radar can precisely detect and locate up to 500 targets simultaneously.
Pom: In these facilities, timing and speed of response are everything. Illegal fishing vessels move fast. By the time you spot them up close, they're already done and leaving. That's why radar-thermal coordination works so well for perimeter security and intrusion prevention. When the radar spots distant targets, it instantly sends position information to thermal positioning systems (cameras) which, in turn, instantly pivot to the target location for visual tracking verification. Even in complete darkness, thermal imaging identifies distant target types, sizes, and intentions.
Pom: Large-scale industrial sites such as oilfields and mining facilities are often located in remote desert or mountain areas where they can face very brutal environmental challenges. Sandstorms, extreme temperatures, heavy fog, and poor lighting are all conditions that severely limit traditional perimeter security cameras, either because they generate frequent false alarms or because real threats can be missed.
Larry: That's exactly where radar and thermal imaging excel. Radar uses electromagnetic waves, so sandstorms and fog don't affect it at all. Thermal imaging doesn't need visible light, working perfectly in complete darkness or through dust and haze. Our integrated system combines both: radar handles wide-area detection while thermal positioning systems track and identify targets. The system accurately distinguishes between personnel, vehicles, and large animals. Together with coordinated PTZ searchlights for long-range warnings and unified software management, the system maintains 24/7 protection even in the worst weather.
Gary: Solar farms are an example that springs to mind here. They are usually located in remote rural areas that are sunny and land-rich, but often very isolated. Sometimes, running power lines can cost more than the entire security system. That's where a fiber-optic perimeter security system stands out. The fiber itself doesn’t need any power or a network. In fact, we can deploy 100-kilometer fiber optic lines, which only require power at the endpoints.
Fiber is great for extreme conditions. It is fire-resistant, electrically insulated, and immune to electromagnetic interference. Combined with our HIK-DAS (Distributed Acoustic Sensing) algorithms and DeepinMind NVR analysis, we guarantee 99% detection accuracy. We also achieve precise positioning within 5 meters. It's like an invisible perimeter security fence that works where traditional secure perimeter fencing can't.
Larry: Offshore mariculture zones, mining sites and oilfields are all examples of massive open areas which need long-range early warning. Here, radar + thermal positioning systems are the optimal solution. We're talking 3-kilometer personnel detection and true over-the-horizon monitoring. The radar's multi-target capability matters too. More than 500 targets can be tracked at a time, while algorithms filter real threats automatically. This proves invaluable in complex environments.
Gary: For facilities with defined boundaries such as solar farms and large ranches, fiber-optic perimeter security solution is highly practical, especially where infrastructure is limited or installation is tricky. A key advantage of these fiber solutions is their precision. Across perimeters spanning kilometers or even tens of kilometers, we precisely locate intrusion points, with coordinated cameras immediately providing visual confirmation. This precision positioning dramatically improves response efficiency. I’m particularly excited at the moment because we are launching even more precise products in the near future.
Pom: We should stress that in many real-world projects, a hybrid approach is often the best answer. Radar might be used for wide-area early warning, augmented by thermal or PTZ cameras located at key spots to provide visual confirmation. Fiber, used for precise monitoring, may be coordinated with cameras for verification. In all cases, the idea is to maximize each technology's strengths while optimizing the balance with cost-effectiveness. The key is the right combination of technologies to your specific environment, threats, and needs. Extreme conditions need serious solutions, but the right combination means harsh environments don't have to stop you from staying secure.
Looking ahead, the future of perimeter security is integration, intelligence, and simplification. As multiple technologies work together, AI will continue to make these systems smarter with fewer false alarms, and greater coverage will be provided by lower installation and maintenance costs.
Explore the products featured in this blog:
Ready to solve your special perimeter security challenges? Contact our specialists or visit our website to discover which advanced perimeter security solution best fits your specific conditions.
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